Nobilo sauvignon blanc review

4062010

Today we review Nobilo’s 2009 sauvignon blanc, a white wine from New Zealand that costs $11 a bottle.

This crisp, citrusy wine is perfect for summer. Even though it’s not sweet, it gives you a tropical feeling. If you are not too experienced with wine, this is a great choice to begin “branching out.” On a hot day, have a little wine tasting: open a bottle of Nobilo, and a bottle of something you normally drink, like a California chardonnay. Have some grapes, or cheese and crackers to nibble on. Compare the flavors you get: If you’re like me, the chardonnay’s flavors will seem clogged up and unnatural when compared to the Nobilo. California chardonnay … hmm, butter, and oak (or a feeling that you’re sucking on a two-by-four?). Nobilo … mmm, flavors of lemon, melon, a hint of green grass and no trace of oak, butter, or Sterno.

Nobilo is delicious, tastes like a $20 wine, and is bound to be a hit with anybody who likes sauvignon blanc. It’s a clear “Best Value” winner.

4 responses

Nobilo has been one of my favorite inexpensive SBs for years. I “discovered” it by talking to another SB buyer at Total Wine on Naamans (while buying Giesen). I have to admit I’m a bit spoiled by the grapefruity Marlboroughs. If you also like Marlboroughs, you might also like:
– Giesen – My fav, but it’s gone way up in price at Total wine 😦
– Babich – Excellent and also inexpensive (my Dad’s fav)
– Kono – Also excellent – Linda Collier turned me on to this one

Thanks for the suggestions – I jotted down a list of about 8 wines I’ll look for next time I’m at Total Wine!

The “great equalizer” of dry whites – no letter-codes for grade (definitely NOT a table wine – NZ just doesn’t do all that AUC-DOCG stuff), no inevitable expectations caused by the country of origin, nothing for snobs to laugh at, and nothing to make the simple folk suspect you of snobbery. Suits and college girls alike will like it for what it is. It just tastes good, even to those who know their stuff! Don’t let the screw-top fool you, this holds up just fine with the $40-50 category, too.

Pretty easy to find anywhere for $8-20 a bottle – and I do mean *anywhere* – whether you’re in a seedy Moscow neighbourhood or in an upscale Californian suburb… It’s a pretty good solution whether you’re lost amongst hundreds of unfamiliar labels in Europe or desperate at an American grocer that, with the exception of a couple dusty bottles of Moet or Veuve Clicaud, carries nothing whatsoever but hideous IGTs, box wine, and lots of those strange yellow liquids with random pricepoints, bottled at hopeless locations like California Chile and Australia (for those poor souls who don’t know better).

My #1 choice if I can’t find a decent Soave, some other respectable Veneto white, or an interesting Spanish bottle.

Try it over ice 50/50 with Perrier! Great solution for if some of your party are drinking beer and you don’t want to… you can keep right up and pace yourself easily, neither dozing off into your plate, nor being the spoilsport in the corner nursing a flute and looking down on everyone else!

…and if you want to get REALLY adventurous, mix it in thirds with sparkling water and a decent dry red (Valpolicella, etc.), put it in a tall beer glass over ice, and make sure you horrify the rest of your company by asking for a teabag of Jasmine Green. Give that a couple dips (the alcohol will brew it cold just fine), then sip and smile. STRANGELY ENOUGH, the stuff tastes excellent, and additionally packs a punch that’s more RedBull/Vodka than anything. Soon, curiosity will prevail over reason, and you will forever be remembered as the source of the wackiest mixer in the company’s repertoire…